Well, looks as if I’ll be joining you to cover this series, as we will re-live the 90’s hopefully, and see some bad blood. Game 1, Red Wings-Avs, the Joe? It just sounds like hockey should sound.

Key for the Red Wings: Well, two actually. Keep this series short, and dominate the Avalanche early. The Avs’ first-round opponent, the Minnesota Wild, didn’t seem to score until the 3rd period came around, a key reason they found themselves out of the Western Quarterfinal. The Wings need to use the points, get everybody involved in the offense, and draw penalties. They will also need to roll four lines to hang with Colorado. The first ten minutes of every game in this series is huge.

When it comes to keeping this series short, this will be the first step outside of the Central time zone in the playoffs. Keeping some of the older players - and while some of the geriatric jokes are exaggerated, there are some fogies on this club - rested during this series should be a priority for coach Mike Babcock.

Key for the Avalanche: Make the Wings play catch up. It goes back to my point for the Red Wings. If the Avs can jump out to 2-0, 3-0 leads, the Wings will likely need to shorten their bench, whereas Colorado can just throw 4 lines and 6 D-men at you the entire game, with the talent they acquired at the deadline. Also, keeping Peter Forsberg in the entire series will be a big factor.

Who needs to step up for Detroit: Chris Osgood. He jumped in for an under-performing Dominik Hasek in Game 4 in this series in Nashville, but if the reverse happens in this series - at any point - you know the Red Wings will be down to last resort time.

Who needs to step up for Colorado: Paul Stastny. Oh, Paulie where were you in Round one? It seemed as if you disappeared. Well, the old fellas can’t keep picking up the slack for you. It’s time to grow up against the Red Wings.

Who ya’ got?: I got Colorado. I know, I know, I work for KK and all, but I think at the end, the Avalanche will get better goaltending and be able to roll four effective, scoring lines in this series. So, I’ll go ahead and pick Colorado in 6.

Yesterday, the NHL announced the three candidates for the Calder which is handed out to the season’s best rookie. Making the cut were Chicago forward tandem Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. Joining them in Toronto will be Washington pivot Nicklas Backstrom.

The Hawk duo of Kane and Toews led the Original Six franchise back to respectability finishing four points behind Calgary for the final playoff berth with 88 points. Had Toews not missed 18 games, it’s very possible that Chicago would’ve made the postseason. The 19 year-old Manitoban still returned to spark his club finishing third in rookie scoring with 24 goals (1st among rookies) and 30 assists for 54 points in 64 contests. He also had seven power play goals, four game-winners and a respectable plus-11 rating.

Toews’ linemate Kane lived up to the hype after being selected first overall in last year’s Entry Draft. The 19 year-old from Buffalo finished second to Backstrom with 51 assists while his 72 points were tops among first-year players. He also matched Toews’ power play and game-winner output with seven PPG and four GW.

Backstrom had an outstanding freshman season. Finally coming over from Sweden, Washington’s former 2006 fourth overall selection tallied 14 goals, a rookie best 55 helpers and 69 total points finishing second to Kane. The 20 year-old playmaking pivot assumed a heavy burden after free agent pickup Michael Nylander went down with a season-ending injury.

Asked to play with Alex Ovechkin, Backstrom fit in well flourishing with the league’s leading scorer to help lead the Capitals to their first postseason in five years. Though his team fell a little short in a hard seven-game series defeat to the Flyers, Backstrom fared well notching four goals and two assists while posting a plus-three rating. He’ll be a star for years to come.

One Blogger’s Reaction: All three forwards were excellent choices but why not Montreal’s Carey Price for the final spot? Without the very poised 20 year-old, the Canadiens finish nowhere near the top of the East. The former 2005 first rounder won 24 games while posting a 2.56 GAA, .920 save percentage and three shutouts.

Since, he’s added two more blankings in the first round. Maybe they just decided not to penalize the players who played full seasons. Other worthy candidates who missed the cut were Atlanta’s Tobias Enstrom, Edmonton’s Tom Gilbert, St. Louis’ Erik Johnson and Phoenix’ Peter Mueller.

I could mention a few kids from the locals but it wouldn’t really be fair. Maybe another time.

That’s right people! Live tonight will be yours truly along with co-host Gary Harding talking puck on the NY Hockey Report as we review the First Round as well as preview Rangers-Pens and the other three Conference Semis which get going tomorrow.

Host Joe McDonald looks like he won’t make it but we’ll have some good entertainment as the comical Patrick Hickey is expected to join us and possible BONY’s and Kukla’s Corner’s own Steve Lepore could join the festivities as we put to rest his Devs. Kidding of course.

Cheap plug much?!?!?!?!?!

Our show is now 90 minutes live from 9-10:30. Scratch that as apparently evil Blog Talk Lady only allowed us 9-10 tonight. Ugh. So it should give us more time to breakdown stuff and fly off the wall.

Just a warning but we still could go over. It won’t stream but we’ll be talking puck anyway most likely.

The number to call in is 646-716-7209.

So, if any fans out there want to talk hockey, please feel free!

See ya there.

Let those who want star power go ga-ga over Crosby’s Pens taking on the Broadway Blueshirts.  You want to relive the ’90’s?  Detroit-Colorado’s for you.  If you have a rubbernecking interest in psycho fanbases, tune into Montreal-Philly where one fanbase might riot and the other will boo anyone and everyone.

But if you want the best pure hockey series, look out West young man (along with the other diehards out there) and stay up late on Friday night to watch the beginning of the Stars-Sharks series in San Jose.  If the regular season is any indication, then expect this one to go right down to the wire.  In the eight-game season series each team won four times, and none of the games were decided by more than two goals.

And both teams are almost mirror images of each other; let us count the ways:

1) San Jose and Dallas both rely on All-Star goaltenders - for the Sharks, Evgeni Nabokov stands between the pipes.  Nabokov led the NHL in wins with 46, and his 2.14 GAA and .910 save percentage with 6 shutouts were more than good enough to get the veteran netminder a Vezina nomination.  Consistent Marty Turco again led Dallas to a fine season with 32 wins, a 2.32 GAA and .909 save percentage.

2) Both San Jose and Dallas got off to dissapointing starts, in the Stars’ case it led to the firing of GM Doug Armstrong, replaced by the tag-team of Les Jackson and Brett Hull - yes that Brett Hull.  Each team picked it up towards the middle of the season and made big trade deadline acquisitions.  While Brian Campbell shored up the Sharks’ defense and gave them an offensive threat from the blueline (19 points and a +9 in 20 games), center Brad Richards gave an offensively challenged Stars team a boost down the stretch with 11 points in 12 games as well as 5 points in Dallas’s six-game series triumph over defending Stanley Cup champion Anaheim in the first round.

3) Each team has playoff skeletons in its closet.  For two straight years, a talented Sharks team under Ron Wilson has blown leads in the second round and as an organization, San Jose has yet to reach the Stanley Cup finals despite some very good teams, while Dallas had only won one playoff series in four years with Turco and coach Dave Tippett going into the 2008 playoffs.  While Dallas took a big step toward exorcising their demons by beating the Ducks, the Sharks - even after struggling to beat seventh-seeded Calgary in a Game 7 - are still a favorite to come out of the West.  Nothing less than the franchise’s first trip to the Finals will do for GM Doug Wilson and the Sharks’ organization.

4) Being too top-heavy in scoring has been a problem for both teams, particularly the Sharks, whose offense has dissapeared for long stretches this season other than 2006 MVP Joe Thornton, who led the team by a mile in the regular season with 96 points.  Milan Michalek - a frequent member of Thornton’s line - was second on the team with a mere 55 points.  Other than Campbell, San Jose’s defense is largely bereft of offense although underrated defenseman Craig Rivet had 35 points in 74 games (as well as 104 penalty minutes). 

Dallas, meanwhile only had three players with 50 or more points.  Center Mike Ribero led the team with 83 - and was rewarded handsomely with a new contract in mid-season.  Hard-nosed captain Brenden Morrow had 74 points and led the team with 32 goals, while veteran Mike Modano chipped in with 57 points.  Although gritty Stephane Robidas had a big goal and assist in the third period of Game 6 against Anaheim, Dallas’s defense is also lacking consistent offensive production though in large part that’s due to the injuries suffered by Sergei Zubov and Phillipe Boucher.  While Zubov’s expected to return after a long absence, Boucher is questionable after missing the final three games of the Anaheim series with a strained hip.

5) In addition to big names such as Thornton, Modano, Richards and Campbell both teams have x-factors that could play a role.  For Dallas, Robidas had a first round to remember with six points in six games including a crucial goal.  Joel Lundqvist (the lesser-known brother in Henrik’s family) got promoted to the second line and chipped in four points of his own during the series with the Ducks.  Perenially underrated winger Jere Lehtinen had another injury-plagued season but managed 37 points in 48 games and also had 6 points in the first round. 

San Jose fans, meanwhile had to be a bit stunned by the identity of the team’s leading scorer (with eight points) in their first-round series with Calgary - Ryane Clowe.  Who?  Well, he’s a gritty forward who missed all but 15 games this season, scoring just eight points.  He did have 34 points in 58 games last year, but still matching his season output in one series qualifies as a surprise.  Affable, perhaps annoying (or both) graybeard veteran Jeremy Roenick also helped the Sharks advance after one of the most memorable games of his fine career in Game 7 with two goals and two assists, this after having no points in the first five games and being scratched in Game 6.  And after a largely underachieving season with 48 points and a -19, Patrick Marleau came alive late in the season after being shifted to wing, and had six points in the Calgary series.

So with all these similarities, how then to pick a winner this series?  Well even though the Sharks did have 108 points to Dallas’s 97, these teams should fight tooth-and-nail.  I expect a Game 7 at the HP Pavillion in San Jose on May 6.  And somewhat surprisingly I’ll predict the road team to win this time.  I think Dallas has a lot of momentum and confidence after beating the defending champs, while the Sharks still have to prove they have playoff toughness.  Winning a Game 7 in the first round is a start, but it was against a seventh-seed Calgary team that shouldn’t have been in that position to begin with. 

So while I’ll pick Dallas in 7 - I do not, however think Wilson will pull a Mike Keenan during Game 7 and lift Nabokov in favor of Brian Boucher (despite how well as he’s played since being signed).   

It’s not often a graybeard turns back the clock to lift a team on his shoulders to a series clinching victory. That it happened to be Jeremy Roenick posting a memorable four point performance to propel the Sharks past the Flames 5-3 in Game Seven was pretty amazing.

Having been a healthy scratch for Game Six following no points and a minus-two rating during the series’ first five games, the 38 year-old proud veteran pivot was back in Ron Wilson’s lineup in the most important game of San Jose’s season. With his team trailing 2-1 despite dominating Calgary, Roenick scored the tying goal floating a change up through a maze of players including a befuddled Miikka Kiprusoff. That foreshadowed plenty unfortunately for the former Vezina winner.

Three minutes later while on the power play, one of the greatest American-born players found another way to score. This time, he got to a Brian Campbell rebound and deposited the puck into the upper portion for a 3-2 Sharks’ lead at 9:04 of the second period.

Up till that point, Roenick had factored in on all three San Jose goals including Joe Thornton’s power play tally back in the first which started the scoring. However, JR wasn’t done just yet.

A key sequence in the deciding game took place five minutes later when Joe Pavelski got to a loose puck and beat a down Kiprusoff who was expecting a lower shot which suddenly made it three San Jose goals in a 7:57 span. Veteran Calgary coach Mike Keenan had seen enough lifting his No.1 goalie in favor of veteran Curtis Joseph.

Earlier in this series, such a move paid off when Cujo sparked the Flames back from three down to a 4-3 Game Three win and 2-1 lead. If it was to try to motivate his lackluster team who was badly outshot, it didn’t work the second time around. In fact, on the very next shift, Roenick dished off to rookie Devin Setoguchi, who fired a tricky wrister past Joseph 52 seconds later making it four straight Shark goals in the last 8:51.

Roenick’s first four-point night in a playoff game in more than a decade was too much for Calgary to overcome. Former Shark Wayne Primeau’s goal 5:18 into the third was the only one they’d get by Evgeni Nabokov, who repelled eight of nine shots en route to 19 saves and a second round date with Pacific rival Dallas.

It’s hard to believe that Roenick would net two goals and two assists with a plus-two rating in 12:13 of ice-time. Though Islander color analyst and Versus sideline reporter Billy Jaffe revealed that Wilson’s pregame speech emphasized positive reinforcements alluding to Roenick’s Game Seven past which included four goals even telling the always colorful 500-goal scorer not to be afraid to step up.

Maybe that’s what we witnessed. Say whatever you may about JR but that was pretty storybook. Definitely what makes the Stanley Cup playoffs so compelling. You never know just who might be the hero.

With the second seeded Sharks prevailing, that sets up a Western Semifinal against the fifth seeded Stars.

Here are all the Conference Semifinal match-ups including the Game One schedule:

Thursday, 4/24

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs (6) Philadelphia Flyers, 7 ET, CBC

(1) Detroit Red Wings vs (6) Colorado Avalanche, 7:30 ET, Versus

Friday, 4/25

(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (5) New York Rangers, 7 ET, Versus

(2) San Jose Sharks vs (5) Dallas Stars, 10 ET, Versus

Note that this game WILL NOT air on MSG. It will only air on VERSUS.

Game 2 is set for Sunday at 2:00 PM ET on NBC.

Copyright Getty Images

Joffrey Lupul’s sudden death power play tally at 6:06 made the Flyers 3-2 Game Seven winners over the Capitals at Verizon Center.

The right wing’s hustle kept a loose puck alive. He was rewarded when teammate Daniel Briere’s one-timer was blocked going right to Kimmo Timonen, who blasted a shot which Washington netminder Cristobal Huet couldn’t control allowing Lupul to flip a backhand into an open side for the series clincher.

It was Lupul’s first of this postseason and biggest as it allowed the Flyers to prevail in seven games and advance to an Eastern Conference Semifinal against top seeded Montreal.

Former Ranger defenseman Tom Poti got called for a late trip handing Philadelphia a man-advantage. Minutes earlier, teammate John Erskine committed a more egregious foul in the same area of the ice which would’ve led to a two-on-one against. You have to wonder if maybe it was a make up call. Poti did commit a penalty but it wasn’t anything blatant and the call came way late.

It doesn’t matter now as the Caps couldn’t kill the remaining nine seconds for Poti. All they needed was one clear but it never came and Lupul turned into a Flyer hero.

So, the Eastern Conference semi match-ups are all set:

(1) Montreal vs (6) Philadelphia-Game One is Thursday night

(2) Pittsburgh vs (5) New York Rangers- Game One is Friday night

The Sharks are hosting the Flames in the other deciding first round game and lead 1-0 on a Joe Thornton power play goal.

If San Jose prevails, they’ll face the Stars in the next round while top seeded Detroit would renew an old rivalry with Colorado. If Calgary comes back to win, they would visit the Red Wings while Colorado and Dallas would meet.

Just as I said that, the Flames just knotted this game at 1-1 via a PPG by Jarome Iginla.

We’ll update what happens after.

They’re going to overtime at The Verizon Center in DC. Twenty years prior, another series between the Flyers and Capitals required sudden death to decide before Dale Hunter won it 5-4 on a breakaway.

Will history repeat itself for Alex Ovechkin and the Caps tonight? His ridiculous rocket is why Game Seven is tied 2-2.

As Dave Strader mentioned on Versus, this will be the 30th Stanley Cup Playoff Game Seven to go to OT. Who will be the hero?

I’m going to pick a player from each side before it begins.

Flyers- I’ll go with Daniel Briere. He’s been dangerous all game and leads the playoffs with 10 points including six goals.

Capitals- Most would go with logic and take Ovechkin as he’s been flying all night long. I’ll go with his Russian comrade Alexander Semin as he’s had some good chances.

We’ll see if I know what I’m talking about.

Earlier today, the league announced the trio of Norris candidates. Once more, Nick Lidstrom headed the list. The five-time Norris winner will once again be the favorite. He’ll go up against Boston’s Zdeno Chara and first-time selection Dion Phaneuf of Calgary.

The 37 year-old Lidstrom who has played his entire 15-year career with the Red Wings is looking to match Doug Harvey with a sixth Norris.

“It meant a lot tying Ray Bourque which is a player I looked up to and admired when he was playing before I even came into the league,” the Detroit defenseman expressed to reporters  of tying Bourque last year during a conference call.

“I had a chance to just watch him on TV, so that was a great honor to get No. 5, and getting No. 6 would be even better, especially with the players that have won it; Bobby Orr having eight. And so it would mean a lot to me being able to win six and passing a player like Ray Bourque.”  

In 76 contests this season, the Swede topped all defenders with 60 assists and 70 points while posting a plus-40 rating ranking second behind teammate Pavel Datsyuk. His 26:43 average ice-time (TOI) was fourth most placing after Chara, whose 26:50 TOI ranked third.

Speaking of Chara, it was a brighter day for the 31 year-old Boston captain than last night’s Game Seven in which he was awful. Well, at least the lanky Slovak bounced back with a very good season leading the surprising Bruins back to the postseason despite no Patrice Bergeron (concussion).

In 77 games, he netted 51 points (17-34-51) while racking up 114 penalty minutes. Chara’s 17 goals tied with Phaneuf for second most by defensemen placing behind Washington’s Mike Green, who finished with 18. Chara and blueline teammate Dennis Wideman also were tied for fourth among D with nine power play goals.

It’s Chara’s second Norris nomination. Four years ago, he finished as the runner-up to then New Jersey Devil Scott Niedermayer.

Meanwhile, the 23 year-old Phaneuf had another great season establishing career bests in assists (43), points (60) and plus-minus (+12) while playing in all 82 games. His 60 points were fifth best by a blueliner. The 10 PPG he connected for tied with Detroit’s Brian Rafalski and Montreal’s Andrei Markov for the most by a defenseman.

Always willing to mix it up, Phaneuf also had 182 penalty minutes topping all players at his position. This is as physical a defenseman as there is with maybe only Montreal’s Mike Komisarek getting the nod over him.

Reaction: No surprise in terms of who got picked. I still feel Markov deserved a nomination. Maybe he didn’t have the gaudy plus-minus of a Lidstrom or the pizzazz of the other couple of candidates but the Montreal defenseman was largely responsible for his team’s stunning improvement and rise to the top of the East. Playing all 82, his 58 points (16-42-58) placed sixth best on the blueline. As noted earlier, his 10 PPG tied with Phaneuf and Rafalski for most by a defenseman. Markov also averaged 24:58 which was the most on his team.

For all the discussion of teammate Komisarek who was a beast easily leading the league in blocked shots, the Long Island product missed seven games and logged 21:09. It was Markov who anchored the D. Though he got help from veteran Roman Hamrlik (23:08 TOI).

It’s hard to argue against Phaneuf and Chara did bounceback but I would’ve put Markov in there. Possible other contenders who had cases were Pittsburgh’s Sergei Gonchar, Green and Minnesota’s Brent Burns. Lidstrom’s anchor Rafalski also had a great season matching last year’s best in points (55) and the 13 goals and 10 power play were by far his best probably making Devil fans sick.

Tomorrow, the Calder candidates get announced. In what was a strong class, figure Patrick Kane, Nicklas Backstrom and Carey Price to get the nod over Jonathan Toews and Peter Mueller.

There are two Game Seven’s taking place. The Flyers and Caps will face off in 10 minutes with Calgary and San Jose following at 10. Even WFAN is having radio coverage of the second game starting at 9:45 PM. So for all my Buffalo buddy’s gripes, they’re putting it on.

As mentioned in a previous entry last night, I was informed by a Montreal buddy who covers the team that some Canadien fans went a little overboard after their team’s 5-0 Game Seven First Round victory over the Boston Bruins.

Apparently, just advancing to the Eastern Conference Semifinals was enough for a wild few to lose their minds rioting in the streets of downtown Montreal. According to the report, they torched at least six Montreal police cars and looted two stores including a Foot Locker.

The police took away several men in handcuffs but it’s uncertain how many were arrested. Fortunately, as NBC sports anchor Len Berman would say, “Nobody was hurt.”  

This was only the first round. What happens if they reach the Stanley Cup Final? What if they lose? Maybe we’re better off not knowing the answer to that.